Push-button electric switch.



J. G. PETERSON.

PUSH BUTTON ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 1909.

Patented May 18, 1909' W/ 7 nzsszs unrrnn JOHAN G. PETERSON,

01 HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ARROW ELECTRIC LOMPAN Y, OFHARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT:

PUSH-BUTWN ELECTRIC 'EWX'KCH.

Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented may I'd, 1909.

Application filed February 1, 1989. serial No. amass.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHANE 'Gonrnnr 'ln'rnnson', a citizen of theUnited 'tates,

residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartt'ord and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Push-Button Electric bwitch,of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates. to a means for attaching the buttons to theactuating mechanisms, of push switches of the ordinary without the useof any machinery or tools This object is attained by providing the Vshank of a push button with a hook or opening of such shape that it canbe easily and qulckly engaged with a complementary hook or opening inthe rocker plate of a switch, out of normal operative position, andafter being engaged and turned into normal 0perative position, cannot bedetached until a ain turned to ino Jerative osition that is the partsare interlocked in such manner that as long as the buttons areinoperative position with respect to thea'ctuatmg mechanism, the partscannot be disengaged. As

a result of this construction, no small rivets are required to behandled and headed, the expense of a riveting machine iscliminated, andthe buttons can be easily and quickly disconnected, without driving outa rivet or the employment of any tool, when it is desired to take themechanism apart.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side elevation of a doublebutton push switch mechanism with the buttons attached to the rockerplate or actuating lever, according to this invention. F ig. 2 showsanother view of the same mechanism with the parts broken away to betterillustrate the construction. Fig. 3 shows a side view of a rocker plateand a push button in the relative positions occupied just before theyare put together, or just after they are separated. Fig. 4 shows asimilar View of the same parts after the shank of the button has beenengaged with the rocker plate and which is i is turned to the firstposition necessary for interlocking the parts. Fig. 5 shows a similarview with the button turned up to operative position, in which osition,the parts are interlocked so they will not become disengaged. j

The particular form of switch mechanism illustrated is not essentialtothe invention,

suitable for the connection of buttons with any form of actuatingmechanism employing one or two push buttons.

In the form of mechanism illustrated, the oscillating poles or movablecontacts 1 are attached to but insulated from the swinging yoke 2 thatis pivoted on a pin 3 which is held in openings in the frame 4i. Pivotedon the stud is the rocker plate or actuating lever 5 which has, in theform shown, projecting arms 6 which support a bar 7, between which and abar 8, carried by the yoke 2, is the actuating spring 9. When the rockerplate is oscillated, the spring is comressed until after the axis of thebar 7 passes the axis of the bar 8, and then the spring throws the yokein the usual manner.

In the form of the'inveution illustrated, the rocker plate 5 hasperforations 10, made nearer to the upper edge of the plate than to thelower edge. The shank ll of the push button 12, of this. form of theinvention, has a notch 13 in its edge, and a mortise 14 in its end. Thetongue 15 at the end of the button shank is of awidth substantiallyequal to the diameter of the perforation 10 in the rocker plate, and themortise i4 is substantially the same width as the thickness of therocker plate. and also as the width of the portiou oi the rocker platebetween the top of the perforation and the upper edge of the plate. Thepart oi the shankof. the button between the tongue and the notch iscurved as at 16. In order to assemble these parts and secure them sothat they cannot be disengaged when in operative posit-ion, the shank ofthe button is advanced longi tudinally toward the side of the rockerplate, as shown in l*ig;,..3, and the tongue at the end of the shankthrust into the perforation in the rocker plate. \Vhen the parts are inthis position the button is turned downwardly to the position shown inFig. 4. This movement of the button turns the tongue on the end oi theshank through the perforation and up against the back side of the rockerplate. Then the button is turned upwardly to operative position. Whenthe parts are thus connected, as shown in Fig. 5, they cannot'becomedisengaged, for the distance between the bottom of the perfora- 5 tionand the lower edge of the plate is greater than the depth of the mortisein the bottom end of the shank. When the mechanism is assembled in aswitch, of course the frame and surface plate keeps the button inoperative position. If at any time it is desired to take the switchapart, after the frame .plate has been removed, the button is turnedfrom such a position as shown in Fig. 5, downwardly t0 the positionshown in Fig.

i, and then turned from that position to a ,horizontal position, asshown in Fig. 3, in which position it is readily disengaged by alongitudinal movement of the button. This construction provides a firm,strong and tight connection between the buttons and the rocker plate ofthe actuating mechanism, which cannot possible become disengaged as longas the buttons are in operative position. No rivets are required, the

labor of handling small rivets and the expense of a riveting machine forsetting such rivet, is eliminated, and the parts can be disassembled atany time without driving out any rivet or damaging or bending any of theparts.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination a push button switch, of a rocker plate aying aperfora tion, and a push button ha ing a shank with its-end shaped toenter the perforation when the parts are out of normaL operative rela--tion, and to be turned so as to interlock therewith, whereby, when theparts are in normal operative relation they cannot be come separated. Iv

2. The combination in a push button switch, of a rocker plate having aperforation near each end, and push buttons having shanks-with theirends shaped to enter the perforations when the parts are out of normaloperative relation, and to be so turned as to-interlock therewith,whereby,

when the parts are in normal operative relarelation. x 4 J OHANN G.PETERSON.

Witnesses: I

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, JOSEPHINE M. STREMPF'ER.

